Alabama Signing Day Primer

With less than two weeks until National Signing Day, football recruiting is in high gear as recruits are taking their final official visits. The 2016 class is a lot different than the 2015 class and it should make for an interesting day on February 3rd. The 2015 class had 23 commitments going into national signing day with only one additional commitment on national signing day. On the other hand the 2016 group currently only has 17 commits with two weeks left. Alabama’s 2016 recruiting class has a solid foundation with their 16 current commits, but Nick Saban and company still has a lot of work to do in order to finish among the top 5 classes.

Here’s a look at the top uncommitted prospects considering Alabama by position including ESPN, Scout and Rivals rankings and the 24/7 crystal ball percentage of picking the Crimson Tide. The composite ranking is the combination of the three sites rankings (JUCO*):

The Crimson Tide currently sit with three wide receiver commitments in their current class. Alabama still has quite a few wide receivers on its recruiting board though, and Mecole Hardman and Demetris Robertson can play defensive back also. Out of these wide receivers Mecole Hardman should come between Georgia and Alabama,

while Robertson will make the decision between Bama, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Stanford. Hardman was unable to take his official visit to Tuscaloosa because of weather.
A.J. Brown will be tough to pull away from Starkville and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Alabama will also be trying to pull Florida products Keith Gavin, Ahmmon Richards, and Keyshawn Young. Alabama’s big competitors for Gavin is Florida State, Richards is Miami, and Keyshawn Young is Michigan and Florida State. The last of the wide receivers is Mykel Jones who will stay in SEC country either going to Alabama, Ole Miss or LSU.

Tight end became less of a need when OJ Howard decided to come back for his senior season and Alabama already has two commitments in the 2016 class, but

more depth is needed. Asiasi and Mathis are looked at as longshots to commit to the Tide.
Nick Eubanks however is looked at as a Crimson Tide favorite, but keeping the lead against Florida will be tough. Eubanks visited Tuscaloosa the weekend of January 15th.

The Crimson Tide have four commitments, including two highly ranked offensive guards and offensive tackles.

Alabama is considered a long shot for these offensive line recruits, but the best shot is with Jauan Williams. Williams decision will come down to the wire with Maryland, Florida State, and Alabama among others. Landon Dickerson is another possible Tide commit who had his official visit on the 22nd of January. His decision will come down to Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia.

Alabama has the best shot to finish strong along the defensive side, especially on the defensive line. The biggest get for Bama would have to be Jonathan Kongbo. The 5 star defensive end is also considering Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida State and USC. Jeffery Simmons will be tough to pull away from the state of Mississippi with both Ole Miss and Mississippi State being the favorites.

Terrell Hall was a one time Ohio State commit, but now is looked at as a favorite for the Tide. Terrell Hall had an official visit on the 22nd. Terrell Hall’s decision will likely come down to the home state Maryland Terrapins or the Crimson Tide. Kobe Jones is another defensive tackle that could choose the Tide, but it will be tough to pull Kobe Jones out of Starkville.

The defensive tackle position currently is at a bit of a question mark at the present moment. Kendell “The Hulk” Jones is a solid commit and will be a good player down the road. However,
Raekwon Davis is wavering on his commitment to the Tide as he is considering going to Mississippi State. As for the uncommitted defensive tackles Jamar King is a 3 star JUCO recruit who is likely to pick Alabama. As for the other defensive tackles, Derrick Brown and Michail Carter could still end up going to the University of Alabama. Brown and Carter however are both looked at as Georgia favorites.

At Outside Linebacker the Tide have 3 big nationally ranked targets with Juarez, Wilson and McCulloch.

Mack Wilson is one of the top players in Alabama and the player most likely to commit to Alabama. Bama will have to hold off Florida and Georgia for the highly coveted linebacker. Alabama came on late for Juarez and McCulloch, and they got Juarez to take an official visit the weekend of January 22nd. Both however are likely to stay at in their home states with UCLA and Texas being the favorite for Juarez and McCulloch.

His dad is the all time leading tackler for the Crimson Tide and Alabama is looked at as the favorite. Notre Dame and Georgia will also be challenging for the talented linebacker. Dontavious Jackson is another talented linebacker who took an official visit during the weekend of January 22nd. They will have to compete against Texas, Oklahoma and Florida State for his commitment. UPDATE: (Jaquan Yulee committed to Marshall).

Defensive back is a major need as they close out this recruiting class. Alabama currently doesn’t have any cornerback recruits and only two safety recruits.

Shyheim Carter and Nigel Knott are the two cornerback recruits most likely to commit to Alabama. Carter used to be an Alabama commit, but the Tide remain the favorite to bring the Lousiana product to Tuscaloosa. Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss will try to stand in Alabama’s way for Carter. Nigel Knott’s recruitment will come down to Oregon and Alabama. Knott’s family want him to stay closer to home, but Knott is a big fan of Oregon. Jack Jones and Jared Mayden are two other cornerbacks that have Alabama on their list. Jack Jones is most likely to go to USC or UCLA, while Mayden will be choosing between Oklahoma and Alabama on National Signing Day. Finally, Nigel Warrior is a talented safety that is considering Alabama. It will be tough to pull him away from Tennessee where his dad played. Georgia is also a contender for Nigel Warrior.